Chapter 634 : Interim

It was a sunny day, with bright sunlight streaming down. In a peaceful little garden, the radiant light filtered through the dense canopy above and scattered across the flowers and grass. Small creatures, like squirrels, scurried through the greenery, and in the distance, the deep tolling of a bell echoed, harmonizing with the chirping birds within the garden.

Dressed in a light, elegant robe and draped in golden hair, Amanda sat quietly on a bench in the tranquil garden, feeding the small birds that had gathered on the stone pavement in front of her. She sprinkled the feed gently across the ground and watched the birds peck leisurely. Occasionally, other small animals would scurry over to snatch a bite.

At that moment, not far from Amanda, the previously empty air suddenly twisted irregularly. Amid a series of shimmering flashes, a translucent apparition gradually materialized into the form of a nun—it was none other than Sister Ivy.

“Your Excellency, Francesco Mattarella has been safely delivered to Holy Mount. The Healing Prayer Priests have already begun treatment,” Ivy reported in a gentle tone, standing before the bird-feeding Amanda, who continued her action without pause.

“How is he now? I heard his condition was quite severe,” Amanda asked while continuing to feed the little animals.

“It is indeed quite serious. Archbishop Francesco encountered a divinity-rank enemy. During the Glamorne incident, he was repeatedly wounded by the divinity of the Lady of Pain—several times spiritually, and once physically. According to Sister Carolina’s assessment, that single divine injury to his flesh was extremely severe and directly led to his breakdown.

“Currently, Archbishop Francesco’s mental state is unstable. His body and soul are still being tormented by the Lady of Pain’s essence. He frequently screams unconsciously, descends into bouts of madness, and is rarely lucid.”

Ivy concluded her report and stood silently, awaiting Amanda’s response. After a brief pause, Amanda sighed and spoke again.

“How pitiful... Divine wounds from the Lady of Pain are likely the most excruciating among all the foreign gods. Does Sister Carolina believe she can resolve it?”

“From what she just said… it seems unlikely. The injuries involve lingering divinity. In the end, it will probably require your intervention, Your Excellency,” Ivy replied.

At her words, Amanda exhaled softly, then tossed out the remaining feed in her hand, letting the small creatures scramble for it.

“I understand. I will visit the Healing Ward shortly,” Amanda said.

Hearing this, Ivy gave a slight bow.

“Understood. I’ll notify Sister Carolina to make preparations.”

As Ivy responded, Amanda’s gaze shifted to her again.

“By the way, how’s the investigation on the Glamorne situation progressing?”

“Regarding the Glamorne incident, the Inquisition has completed its preliminary investigation. Based on available data, the core of the matter appears to stem from a long-standing conflict between the Eight-Spired Nest—followers of the Lady of Pain—and the secret inheritance of the Night Sky. The focal point of their struggle is a legacy left behind in Pritt by the Queen of the Night Sky.”

Amanda’s expression sharpened slightly at this, and she spoke in a deeper tone.

“A Night Sky legacy… still preserved in Pritt? Could it be they’ve remained hidden there for over a thousand years?”

“That part remains unclear. The group that rescued the imprisoned Pritt clergy and revealed the Lady of Pain’s plot to Archbishop Francesco identified themselves as patriots hidden in Pritt’s shadows. They’ve apparently been opposing the Eight-Spired Nest all along. It was likely also them who caused the Queen of the Night Sky’s temple to appear before Sister Vania’s group at that critical moment… and who eliminated the Lady of Pain’s chosen after Archbishop Francesco collapsed.

“During the follow-up investigation of the Night Sky Temple, the Inquisition discovered traces of other divine essence—possibly from the Queen of the Night Sky Herself. It’s possible that Her will personally intervened near the end of the incident…”

Ivy’s report was solemn, and Amanda’s face grew increasingly grave.

“The Queen… if she truly left contingencies in Pritt, why has she only acted once in over a thousand years? Why didn’t she intervene during the Wind King’s Rebellion?”

Amanda questioned aloud, and Ivy replied promptly.

“There are certainly many doubts. But the divine traces found in the Night Sky Temple are genuine. The Queen of the Night Sky likely interfered in Pritt through some method. Typically, it would be incredibly difficult to detect her divine aura—but the Inquisition’s investigators encountered no obstacles. Those traces weren’t hidden at all, which may indicate she deliberately left them to signal her involvement.

“Still, even with clues and evidence, the incident involves a true god. The Inquisition dares not jump to conclusions. To uncover the full truth, we may need to contact the Nation of Night…”

Ivy’s voice grew heavier. Since the scene in Glamorne clearly showed signs of divine intervention, even the Inquisition—normally infamous for its harsh and overbearing style—now hesitated to act rashly. Amanda, too, fell into contemplation before speaking slowly.

“To contact the Nation of Night… that is a privilege reserved for the Holy See. But the Holy See still shows no sign of return… this is a real headache.

“Within the Radiance Church, only the Holy See possesses the ability to commune directly with the divine will. Be it the Trinity or heretical gods, only the Holy See holds the authority to converse directly with them. Now that the Holy See is absent, and a matter involving true deities has arisen… what a mess.”

Amanda’s expression was solemn as she spoke, and Ivy, not far from her, nodded slightly and continued.

“Mm… indeed. Given the current situation, the Inquisition doesn’t dare to make a hasty decision. Since this involves the direct will of a true deity, any resolution will have to wait until the Holy See returns.”

“Yes, dealing with an evil god like the Lady of Pain is still manageable—we can take a clear stance and intensify our investigation into the Eight-Spired Nest. But the complication lies in the involvement of the Queen of the Night Sky. Without the Holy See present, this becomes a very tricky matter…”

Amanda sighed, then after a moment of thought, turned to ask Ivy another question.

“By the way, how is Vania doing now?”

“Sister Vania Chafferon has already returned to Tivian. The Inquisition conducted another examination on her but found no abnormalities. She appears to have been drawn into the conflict between the Queen of the Night Sky and the Lady of Pain in Pritt. There are signs that both sides tried to make use of her. The Eight-Spired Nest even attempted to lure Sister Vania into desecrating the Night Sky Temple in Glamorne, but this plan seems to have been thwarted—likely due to the Queen’s intervention.

“Based on the testimonies from the Glamorne Church, the Tivian Church, the other guards in the relic procession, and Archbishop Francesco himself, Sister Vania’s behavior throughout the incident was perfectly reasonable. There was nothing suspicious…

“If one were to pinpoint anything unusual about her, it would only be that she has an unusually high likelihood of being caught up in major incidents… It inevitably makes people speculate—was it her arrival that triggered these events? That was the justification the Inquisition’s investigators used when re-examining her.”

Ivy explained to Amanda, who fell into a brief silence before speaking again.

“Navaha, Summer Tree, Yadith, Kankdal, Moncarlo… wherever that little nun goes, something happens. In most cases, people would suspect she’s the common thread—that she has secrets, that she’s the spark behind all these events…

“But the issue is… even though these incidents happen around that young nun, each one is vastly different in nature. Some involved the Blackdream Hunting Pack, some the Abyssal Church, some heretics, and some even internal Church affairs. And now we have the Lady of Pain and the Queen of the Night Sky…

“Though Sister Vania keeps getting swept into them, the forces behind each incident are completely different. Each has distinct motives, developments, outcomes, and involved factions… there’s no visible connection between them. Some within the Inquisition would love to pin everything on Vania’s repeated involvement, but they’ve never been able to find any real evidence that she is the root cause. They can’t even establish a shared thread among all the events.”

Amanda waved her hand slightly as she spoke. Ivy nodded in thoughtful agreement.

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

“Your Excellency is absolutely right. Even though Sister Vania has been through a lot, the incidents are far too diverse. It seems utterly implausible that she’s entangled with so many factions at once… Still, the frequency of her involvement is unnaturally high. If we don’t attribute it to external causes, the only explanation left is… fate.”

“Yes… perhaps it’s simply fate. But fate—that lies solely in the hands of the gods. Could it be that a true deity is secretly guiding that little nun’s destiny…?”

Amanda said quietly. Upon hearing this, Ivy paused briefly before speaking again.

“Are you suggesting… that the Holy Mother is truly guiding Sister Vania?”

“Heh… who can say? The will of heaven is inscrutable. Even among the Seven Living Saints, I—who am considered the most devoted to the Holy Mother’s teachings—have never once heard Her divine voice. I cannot divine where Her gaze now rests. Perhaps that little nun truly has been chosen by Her. Perhaps all these trials are divine tests meant for her.”

Amanda sighed again, then slowly rose from the bench in the garden. Just as she was about to leave, she seemed to remember something else and turned to Ivy.

“One more thing. Since Francesco has returned to Holy Mount for treatment and won’t be recovering anytime soon, who will replace him as Archbishop of Pritt? Has Hilbert nominated anyone?”

“Oh… His Excellency Hilbert originally intended to appoint Gavino, the head of the Sacrament Knights, as the new Archbishop of Pritt. However, he’s encountered resistance from Grand Inquisitor Kramar,” Ivy explained.

Amanda raised her brow and responded.

“Isn’t the Pritt diocese traditionally a Knight-aligned district? With the Holy See absent, Hilbert should be free to appoint its Archbishop.”

“That’s true. But Grand Inquisitor Kramar believes that the Eight-Spired Nest has grown rampant in Pritt and that swift, aggressive measures are needed. He wants to appoint one of his Inquisitors as Archbishop to better handle heretical investigations.

“Kramar argues that the Glamorne incident was extraordinary and thus this appointment can’t follow routine protocol. But Hilbert directly rejected this demand, and now both sides are at an impasse. Unless something changes, this matter will likely be brought up in the next Cardinal Council.”

Ivy explained thoroughly. Although, on the surface, the Inquisition and the Holy War Army (Sacrament Knights) are responsible for internal and external threats respectively, the Inquisition holds investigative authority for both heretics and cults due to the Knight’s lack of investigative infrastructure. The Holy War Army, on the other hand, acts to execute large-scale purges based on the Inquisition’s findings.

Given the rampant activity of the Eight-Spired Nest in Pritt, Kramar’s demand to install an Inquisitor Archbishop isn’t entirely unreasonable. However, Hilbert is equally reluctant to relinquish a traditionally Knight-controlled diocese.

“Kramar’s trying to place his own man in Pritt at a time like this? …Well, I suppose it’s not unexpected. But now is really not the time for internal power struggles. The longer Pritt goes without a new Archbishop, the longer Tivian’s chain of command is left in limbo—that’ll only lead to more problems. They should just send someone temporary to hold the fort…”

Amanda spoke with a frown, to which Ivy responded seriously.

“I’m afraid that won’t work. Neither side will back down. Each worries that if the other’s candidate assumes the post even temporarily, they’ll gain momentum and never step down. That’s why no other Saint dares to send someone either—it would trigger suspicion from both camps. This issue can only be resolved in the Cardinal Council.”

“Heh… with those attitudes, I doubt even the next meeting will settle it. It’ll probably take a while for them to compromise. But in the meantime, the Church must not leave Tivian in a state of power vacuum. Someone must temporarily assume the duties of Archbishop of Pritt.”

Amanda spoke gravely. Hearing this, Ivy couldn’t help but respond.

“Your Excellency… You’re not thinking of sending someone to Tivian, are you? If someone from your own Redemption Faction were to go, both Kramar and Hilbert would immediately be on alert. That’s a dangerous move…”

Ivy voiced her concern, but Amanda simply smiled and said:

“Don’t worry. I won’t send anyone new to Tivian. After all, isn’t there already someone of mine there? And not from the Redemption Faction, either…”

“You don’t mean…” Ivy’s eyes widened slightly in realization.

“Sister Vania possesses a divine artifact. Using it as a medium, she can link to the church in Tivian and temporarily assume control over the chain of command. Let her—someone who has no chance of being officially appointed—serve as interim archbishop. No one will object. We’ll assign someone to support her discreetly, and in the meantime, we can wait patiently for the others to sort things out.”

Amanda concluded her plan with a serene smile.